DIY Flea & Linen Spray

By Melissa Massello, September 17, 2014

One of the things we were most excited about when we bought our house in Austin was finally, FINALLY, after 15 years of city living with dogs, to have a big ol’ yard for them to play in. And, as an added bonus, it came with a super cute and sturdy dog house. Yippee!

Errr…not so much.

That yard and that dog house, and all the time Pixie spends outside in them, mean that — no matter how vigilant we are with weekly baths and monthly medicine — the fleas that also love to hang out in that yard and that dog house make their way inside our house. It’s just a fact of life if you own a pet that spends a lot of time outside, but they are a major PITA if they set up camp, and it doesn’t have to be that way. (And shouldn’t be, because they carry things like typhus. Ick.)

But, since I’m on a major DIY kick with essential oils and beauty/cleaning products at the moment, I came up with this totally organic flea and linen spray recipe, AND IT WORKS.

Combined with regularly salting & vacuuming your carpets & couch covers, it keeps the fleas away pretty much permanently. I spray it daily on our beds (and Pixie’s), pillows, couches, crate liners, rugs, anything plush. It smells super dreamy and aromatherapy spa-like to us — but it’s a flea’s worst nightmare. Win, win, win!

Once you’ve assembled a pantry of the most common essential oils (an investment of about $30 to $100), this spray costs literally less than $2 and only takes about 2 minutes to make.

DIY ALL-NATURAL FLEA SPRAY RECIPE

• 12 ounces witch hazel or water
• 10 drops lemon essential oil
• 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
• 10 drops lavender essential oil

Mix all the ingredients together in a bottle fitted with a sprayer top. (I like to use an empty glass vinegar bottle with the label soaked off, fitted with a spray bottle top from the dollar store.) Shake vigorously every time before use. Keeps for about six months at room temperature.

If you’re OCD about pretty & practical things like me, affix a label (though I love making chalkboard labels, this new Scotch chalkboard tape is genius and saves a step) and then mark appropriately. If you’re giving this as a housewarming or host/holiday gift, you may want to also tie a little tag around the neck with these instructions!

~ M